Load-sensing means of the type mentioned in the introduction are used, for example, but by no means exclusively, in motor vehicles in order to make it possible to reliably measure the loads or torques occurring during the experimental operation on the test bench or during real travel.
Such a load-sensing means is known, for example, from DE 101 07 279 A1. The load-sensing means known from this document is used to determine or evaluate the load acting in a certain component of a motor vehicle, for example, the axial load present in a track rod because of reaction loads from the chassis. Provisions are made for this according to the teaching of this document, among other things, for providing a ball and socket joint arranged between different components of the steering linkage with a wire strain gauge and to infer the axial loads acting in the steering linkage or in the track rod of interest on the basis of the signals of this wire strain gauge.
However, the benefit of this prior-art load-sensing means is limited. Thus, as was described, essentially only a load acting in a certain component in a certain direction can be determined with this load-sensing means. The prior-art load-sensing means is thus unsuitable for determining more complex load situations, as they occur, for instance, on larger assembly units or on the motor vehicle as an overall system.